Europe Power-Spot eases as solar output rise

* German wind power to fall, French nuclear output tight
* French, German consumption to rise
PARIS, June 27 European spot power prices fell
slightly on Wednesday, helped by higher solar energy ouput in
Germany that offset higher consumption and an elevated outage
level at French nuclear plants, traders said.
Germany's day-ahead baseload was 1 euro down on the
day at 48 euros a megawatt hour and the equivalent French
contract fell 2.25 euros to 48.25 euros per MWh.
Wind generation in Germany was forecast to fall to just
under 1 GW while solar production was expected up to around 5
GW, data from Thomson Reuters Point Carbon showed.
"Solar power production is expected up around 1,600 MW on
average and more than offset the increase in consumption and
lower wind in the peak hours," Point Carbon analysts wrote on
Wednesday.
French consumption is expected to remain steady in the next
two days, before falling slightly early next week to a peak of
about 56,600 MW next Wednesday, data from French grid operator
RTE showed.
The outage level at French nuclear plants remained elevated,
keeping French spot prices higher than their German equivalents,
with some 34.86 percent of France's nuclear capacity currently
offline, according to a Reuters estimate.
Along the forward curve, prices remained broadly flat on the
day, with the Cal' 13 benchmark in Germany up 5 cents to 48.75
euros and France's year-ahead contract 30 cents higher at 50.2
euros.
Brent crude oil fell on Wednesday on mounting concerns that
European leaders would fail to solve the region's debt crisis at
a meeting this week, offsetting tighter North Sea oil supply
which saw it bounce the previous session. O/R
The head of Germany's energy industry association BDEW said
the country needs a new power market system by 2015 at the
latest to manage the shift towards more renewable resources.
(Reporting by Michel Rose)

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